Chapter 7: The Railway Station Trap

The old railway station had been abandoned for nearly a decade.

By the time Aaron and I arrived, the streets around it were almost completely deserted.

A cold wind swept through the broken windows of the station, carrying the smell of rust and wet concrete.

Aaron parked several blocks away and turned off the headlights.

You stay behind me, he said.

I glanced at him.

You really think I'll listen?

His jaw tightened.

For once, Claire, try not to make my job harder.

I almost smiled.

Despite everything that had happened, there was something strangely reassuring about having him beside me.

We approached the station on foot.

The building looked exactly like the photograph from my previous life.

Broken signs hung from the ceiling. Old tracks disappeared into the darkness beyond the platform. A single yellow light flickered near the ticket office.

My heartbeat accelerated.

I had been here before.

Not in this life.

In my previous life, I had come to this station after receiving an anonymous message about my brother.

I had arrived alone.

By the time I understood it was a trap, it was too late.

That night had ended with my family's downfall.

This time, however, I wasn't alone.

Aaron raised one hand, signaling me to stop.

There.

I followed his gaze.

A dark figure stood near the end of the platform.

My breath caught.

Brother!

I started forward, but Aaron grabbed my wrist.

Wait.

The figure slowly turned.

It was James.

His hands were tied, and there was blood on the side of his face, but he was conscious.

Claire, don't come closer!

His voice echoed through the empty station.

I froze.

Aaron immediately scanned the surrounding area.

Where's Daniel?

James shook his head desperately.

I don't know. They took him somewhere else.

A speaker suddenly crackled above us.

A distorted voice filled the station.

Welcome back, Claire.

My entire body went rigid.

You remember this place, don't you?

Aaron stepped in front of me.

Show yourself.

The voice laughed softly.

Detective Ford. Always so predictable.

I looked around, searching for cameras or hidden microphones.

The voice continued.

Claire, you have spent weeks pretending to hate your family. You stole their money, ruined their reputation, and made the entire country believe you were a monster.

I said nothing.

But you made one mistake.

The voice became colder.

You cared about them.

A light suddenly turned on above James.

His face was bruised and exhausted.

The voice continued.

You should have taken the money and disappeared. Instead, you started asking questions.

Aaron raised his weapon.

Where is Daniel?

Silence.

Then a second voice came through the speaker.

Look behind you.

I turned.

A huge metal door at the back of the station had opened.

Two men dragged Daniel into the room.

My nephew's face was pale, and his hands were bound.

A broken sound escaped my throat.

Daniel!

He looked at me.

Auntie, don't listen to them.

One of the men struck him across the face.

I stepped forward instinctively.

Aaron stopped me again.

Don't.

The distorted voice laughed.

You see, Claire? This is why you were always so easy to control.

You care too much.

I clenched my fists.

What do you want?

Everything.

I already gave you everything.

No. You gave us the money. We want something much more valuable.

My eyes narrowed.

What?

The evidence.

Aaron looked at me.

What evidence?

I realized immediately that they had expected me to bring him.

The person behind the organization wasn't just interested in my family's money.

They were afraid of what my brother had discovered.

The voice continued.

Your brother kept records of every transaction. Every shell company. Every secret investor. Every payment made through the network.

James looked at me desperately.

Claire, don't give them anything.

I stared at him.

Where are the records?

He shook his head.

I destroyed them.

The voice laughed.

He is lying.

Aaron looked at James.

Are you?

James remained silent.

I suddenly remembered something.

In my previous life, shortly before the company collapsed, James had begged me to keep a small metal box safe.

I had never understood why.

After his death, I found the box in my bedroom.

It contained a flash drive.

I had assumed it was worthless.

Now I knew better.

I looked at Aaron.

The evidence isn't with James.

His eyes sharpened.

It's with me.

The speaker went silent.

For several seconds, nobody moved.

Then the distorted voice said quietly, Where?

I smiled.

Safe.

A man holding Daniel stepped forward.

Tell us.

I shook my head.

First, let my brother and nephew go.

The voice laughed again.

You aren't in a position to negotiate.

I glanced at Aaron.

He understood immediately.

His hand moved toward his radio.

But before he could speak, every light in the station went out.

Gunshots exploded through the darkness.

Aaron grabbed me and pulled me behind a concrete pillar.

James shouted.

Daniel screamed.

I heard footsteps running across the platform.

Then silence.

Aaron switched on a small flashlight.

James was still there.

But Daniel was gone.

I rushed toward my brother.

Where did they take him?

James looked at me with tears in his eyes.

They took him toward the tunnel.

Aaron immediately called for backup.

I stared into the darkness beyond the tracks.

In my previous life, that tunnel had been where I lost everything.

This time, Daniel was somewhere inside it.

I grabbed Aaron's arm.

I'm going in.

He shook his head.

Not alone.

We moved into the tunnel together.

The deeper we went, the colder the air became.

After several minutes, we found a small room beneath the station.

The door was open.

Inside, there was no sign of Daniel.

Only a chair stood in the center of the room.

On it was a familiar metal box.

My heart stopped.

It was the same box James had given me in my previous life.

Aaron picked it up carefully.

There's something inside.

I opened it.

A flash drive lay inside, along with a handwritten note from my brother.

Claire, if you're reading this, then I was right. Someone inside our family has been working with them.

My hands began to tremble.

Aaron read the note over my shoulder.

Then he looked at me.

Who in your family could he mean?

I stared at the final line.

The person you trust the most is the one who betrayed us.

I slowly raised my eyes.

There was only one person who had access to everything.

My brother's chief financial adviser.

But before I could say his name, Aaron's phone rang.

He answered.

The caller spoke for only a few seconds.

Aaron's face became completely pale.

What happened?

He looked at me.

Your sister-in-law just woke up.

My heart jumped.

She's alive?

Yes.

Then why do you look like that?

Aaron swallowed.

Because she claims she knows who ordered your family's destruction.

I stepped closer.

Who?

Aaron stared at me.

She said it was someone you have known your entire life.

At that moment, the station lights came back on.

A final message appeared on the wall through a projector.

You are getting closer, Claire.

But you still haven't realized who the real enemy is.

I stared at the words.

For the first time since my rebirth, I wondered whether the person I had been trying to protect was actually the person I should have feared.